Hi i'm new to this, but would appreciate any and all advice, I would like to know from the forum, if the same types of recipes you have discussed can be used for sloe vodka as well? also I have made a batch of blackberry whisky, when would be a good time to decant the berries from the whisky and allow the maturing process to begin.

I've been doing sloe vodka for a number of years, after a tip from someone selling it a a farmers' market locally. I use exactly the same quantities as for sloe gin, substituting vodka instead. Friends who 'cannot stand the smell or taste of gin' attest to the smooth, interesting and 'Christmassy' flavour. You can't tell them that sloe gin doesn't taste of gin really. Another good thing about sloe vodka is that if you destone the sloes after filtering you can mix them with molten chocolate (milk or plain according to taste) and make delicious sloe liqueuer chocolate.